About the Fellowship
Two Unique Experiences in One Fellowship
The fellowship is comprised of two distinct experiences: an immersive orientation period and a hands-on placement working as a senior advisor to an elected or appointed federal government official.
Starting with an intensive three-and-a-half-month orientation, fellows have the opportunity to meet with national leaders well-versed in health and health care policy, think tanks and interest groups, key executive branch officials, and members of Congress and their staffs.
This concentrated orientation is designed to prepare the fellows for immediate success in the second phase: their placements in the federal legislative or executive branch.
Fellows serve as senior advisors to key health policy decision-makers in Washington, DC.
Fellows participate in the policy process with members of Congress, a congressional committee, or the executive branch, and function as full members of the health team under the mentorship of an experienced senior staffer. During the placement, fellows may:
- Help develop policy proposals/positions
- Draft legislation
- Prepare memos
- Organize hearings, briefings, and stakeholder meetings
- Meet with constituents
- Brief legislators or senior administration officials on a range of health issues
I am not sure there is another opportunity to pick up these skills that add value to your career at this stage. The value was to see the health care system in a more balanced way, understand the insights of federal policy making, and learning where best to lean in.
Caprice Knapp (RWJF HPF 2017-18)
Principal Deputy of the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS)
One of the strengths of this program and the orientation is the vast network of people that we have met. I have found incredible mentors and inspiring figures through this opportunity. It gives me a lot of hope to know I can use their advice and mentorship to further and improve my own career and my knowledge.
Sujith Ramachandram (RWJF HPF 2024-25)
Associate Professor, University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy
The RWJF fellowship changed the trajectory of my career in both tangible and intangible ways. It changed my way of thinking about health care as a whole, about the policy levers that I can access to affect health care, and my role as an agent of change.
Grace Lin (RWJF HPF 2023–24)
Department Chair of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic
Over 50 Years of Fellows
Since 1973, this non-partisan fellowship has provided mid-career health and health care professionals with direct, hands-on policy experience in influential congressional and executive branch offices and committees in the nation’s capital.
Upcoming Virtual Info Sessions
Meet program leadership, learn about the fellowship, and ask your questions!
Current Fellows
Fellows who grow together, go together.
Each cohort brings together leaders with wide-ranging expertise, experiences, and perspectives. Throughout the year fellows learn with and from one another, creating a community grounded in collaboration, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to improving the health of the nation.
Our Team
The RWJF Health Policy Fellows program is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and administered by the national program office (NPO) at the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).
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